


Interview Gone Right

by Ncie0h43nnbfej2



Category: HEARTBEAT (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Dates, Dinner, F/F, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Museums
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:26:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22113310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ncie0h43nnbfej2/pseuds/Ncie0h43nnbfej2
Summary: Ann is looking for a new job. She applies for a position in the Sand Bar Museum. An interview is to take place...
Relationships: Ann Galliard/Avisa Alocer
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Interview Gone Right

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for Whim. A little late Winter Holidays gift!
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading this fanfic. It's an unusual pair, but really fun.
> 
> May contain mentions of tobacco/alcohol.

“Keys, wallet, ID, bag… Alright, think I got it,” Ann muttered, patting herself down and rummaging through her bag.

“Keys, wallet, ID, bag… your application? And, uh, your Sewer Pass?” Rick repeated her checklist, as well as the items she forgot to mention.

“Oh no, of course, the most important things. What would I do without you…” she hurried back to her room to grab everything she was missing.

“I dunno. You’d forget stuff,” the younger Galliard mumbled, leaning onto the wall next to the door. He waited for his sister to come back - rushed and unusually nervous.

Seeing her that way was rather odd. She’d always been the most feared, most respected woman around - someone with the strongest confidence in her own self. Ever since she left her manager position at Smallmart to give change of scene a spin, she has been less stressed and depressed in general, yet more nervous than ever whenever it came to finding a new, more relaxed job. The Galliards’ Mogwai, as well as Rick, supported Ann to the fullest, yet couldn’t offer much - Chip and Blitz only knew the Den of the old times and never actually returned to the reformed Den anyway, although they doubted whether the Mogwai would let a human work there. The Ambassador was an exception, of course. Everyone wanted to work with the Ambassador.

“OK, now I got everything. Look after Chip, OK? Don’t let her follow me, I don’t want her… uh. Barging in and breaking stuff or something. She got ridiculously good at tracking and finding me recently,” Ann was telling her brother in a hushed tone.

“Yeah, I remember what happened that time in Sunwich Shoppe. I mean. She probably just wants you around more. You’re far away, she feels lost. And she wants to help you,” Rick was making assumptions, fiddling with a loose string coming down from his hat.

“Well, maybe. But she really,” Ann pauses to let out a soft sigh, “she really could, you know, help some other way. So it’s less harm than good.”

Rick looked down at the floor, a bit uncomfortable. He didn’t like thinking about issues as tough and worrying as those.

“I guess it’ll be OK.”

“Yeah. Right. Anyway, what are we even on about,” she exhaled in a little chuckle, throwing her hands slightly up, as if shooing the topic away. “I’ll get going, or I’ll be late.”

“Bye, bye,” Rick said as he watched his sister open the door, slip outside and quickly run down the stairs. He heard her footsteps get quieter and quieter.

What was she even on about?

Ann rubbed her temples, still walking downstairs, groaning and closing her eyes for a moment. At the bottom of the stairs, she almost bumped into someone, had to apologize several times and hurry away, probably surprising the neighbour with the change in her attitude - usually others would apologize to her instead, fearing for life.

Making a sudden decision to change everything was unusual, but healing, yet also troubling but in a whole new way. She still had to get used to it. It was hard to go through a day without drifting to difficult topics while talking, it was difficult to discuss anything without feeling as if she was whining, complaining or just being bitter about something. Although she’d always had a bickering, at times mutually irritating yet loyal and - in the end - close companionship established with Chip, she was becoming more and more uncomfortable with the Mogwai’s antics when her work days turned into free time spent at home. It felt awful. She didn’t want to hate her, but sometimes felt as if she already did.

She felt her nose get runny and her eyes get a bit itchy. No good. Couldn’t afford that. Ann dashed across the street to where the entrance to the sewers was. It had been a year since the Sewers crew together with some well-known and influential tanuki decided to monetize the Sewers, creating the so-called Sewer Passes that humans and mogwai could use to access the magical wormholes freely. Some people - like Ann - had a Premium Pass, which cut the price for one ‘ride’ in half. Not only was she not used to taking a bus or other public transport to go anywhere - Aeros was a sizeable town, yet you could still get around on foot to most spots, and Ann also had her own car - but she was also extremely baffled by the whole concept of the Sewers. It was much faster than driving on her own, so she had to take it, despite how filthy it sounded.

Luckily, the Sewer crew was taking good care of the place. They expanded Ven’s shop to the size of a little market and turned the Rakshasa shop and training area into a proper dojo. How exactly that was possible was a little unclear to people like Ann, yet it all left them mesmerized. Perhaps, the tanuki hired for the job just kept digging through the fabric of whatever sort of dimension that whole place was. Was it just all filled with sewer water outside the carefully stacked walls?

Ann hurried past other Sewer commuters, probably bumped into a couple of people, got shoved aside several times too, and had to fend off an annoying tiny oni salesman from Ven’s magic market. The little thing’s grip was so strong that Ann got scared he’d ruin her trousers - and she dressed to impress that day, trading her already quite elegant manager’s uniform for a suit without tie, in grey colour with a hint of dark red on the buttons and trims. Not to mention the amount of time she’d spend washing and re-braiding her long hair for this. The best part, however, was wearing more comfortable shoes than usual, and their low heels made very satisfying clicks whenever they connected with the floor… ceramic tiles were a nice new direction the Sewer crew undertook.

Groaning, a bit frustrated, she found her way to the Sand Bar exit and climbed outside. That would be the place where she was going to endure the horrors of a job interview for the first time in many years. She could only so faintly remember the one she went through to get into Smallmart, back then. Probably for the better.

Despite the fact she lived in a town built near a strait - a considerable amount of water and beaches around - the air in Sand Bar reached her in a whole new, different way. It was almost like being at sea, already sailing somewhere far away. She didn’t even know how she’d react to a voyage, but was frequently imagining taking a while off to enjoy something like that. It took her too long to recover, though, and she never made the arrangements.

There was one arrangement - the interview, and she had to hurry, carefully stepping through the sandy streets of this odd town, crossing suspicious shaky bridges, all the while hoping not to attract too much attention… although, she did - she was the only person dressed so formally around numerous sahuagin and other water-loving inhabitants of the small town. Ann soon reached the museum building - set in stone, looking rather unattractive from the first glance. An odd area next to it was blocked by a chain-link fence, she could see some weird platform hidden behind it. Not her worry. Ann went straight for the front door of the museum, opened it with great confidence and stepped inside.

Quiet. It was really quiet in there, and it felt more like entering some mysterious temple than a museum. She felt a bit embarrassed to admit to anyone interested in her job prospects that she’d be going to a place she’d never even visited before. It was, in a way, her very first experience. The walls and the floor were made of stone, the floor was chiseled, smooth, split into even tiles - some of them ornate. She slowly made her way through… avoiding a couple of visitors - or so she thought at first, before realizing it was just a busy-looking hamster family and a massive gerbil skittering around the floor, busy with something. Perhaps, such animal-friendly place was just the spot for Ann - a change of scene to something so relaxed, so quiet and kind. When was the last sanitary inspection conducted in the museum, she wondered. She also noticed some suspicious-looking cat sith with a handwritten ‘gift shop’ sign standing on top of a table the salesman was sitting at. So odd.

The desk at the reception was empty. It also did say ‘administrator’ on a modest-looking sign on top of it, so perhaps the museum indeed had very little staff, for someone so important to be greeting all visitors. Ann remembered her times as a manager in Smallmart - people were afraid to call for her anyway. Spent her time in the back.

She rang a little bell on top of the desk. As far as she could recall, the museum was owned and managed by Nile Foras, a mogwai, but also a human in the past life. Ann spun around a little bit, looking at the interior. After a little while, she heard footsteps getting closer and closer - in a hurry.

“Go-o-o-od morning, well met! My apologies. I was tending to something else, you see…” she heard someone speak. 

Ann turned around and put on a rather fake smile, to seem friendly enough - she had been encouraged by her family beforehand to try and stay friendly. She opened her eyes and saw the person wave at her slightly, then walk around and stay behind the desk. Galliard took a better look. The young woman who was greeting her looked nothing like Nile Foras she had been told about.

“Oh, has there been a shift in ownership of the museum? I assume that wouldn’t be a problem, if you do not mind me asking, of course?” Ann asked, almost letting a stutter slip past in the middle of the sentence, for which she scolded herself in her own mind for a good minute, trying to get her scattered thoughts together. She wasn’t used to this. Whoever that woman was, she probably would end up outranking her in the museum’s hierarchy. And what was even worse than that…

Ann found her extremely handsome.

“Oh? Oh. Ha-ha, no-no-no…” she dragged in response, tapping on the keyboard of a computer that was standing on the side of the desk. She never finished the explanation.

Ann grew impatient. Yet she didn’t even realize how soon the fake smile she had turned into an honest one, although more subtle and a little bit shy. What was even happening to her?

“Is something wrong with…” she was going to say, but the woman who greeted her finally spoke up, too.

“So, you must be Ann… Ga-lli-ard, correct?”

“Yes, Ann Galliard…” Ann fixed the collar of her shirt quickly.

“Mhm. Okay. Hoo, I’m still getting used to this,” she said quietly, tapping on the keyboard.

“Pardon?”

“Oh, it’s okay, I’m simply not that used to the position. Oh-hoo, right, you wouldn’t know,” she stopped typing and turned to Ann, immediately looking her in the eyes.

Ann got a bit more confident after a while and noticed the young woman’s pointy ears, the odd-coloured yellow-orange eyes - that was definitely a Mogwai.

“Nile and Ark are taking a long, long vacation, so I’m left here all alone, just… like that. But Nile said I could put up a job offer for someone to respond to, and all, and here you are. Don’t worry, I’ve been told how to work out all that annoying paperwork stuff,” she reassured the newcomer. “I’m Avi… Avisa, by the way. Avisa Alocer.”

Avi thought that, perhaps, someone new in the field of their work was probably going to call her by the full name instead. That would make it more professional.

“Ms. Alocer, very well. I am glad to have this opportunity. Fascinating place, this museum, it’s been a while since my last visit…” Ann said in a quiet voice, almost gasping - a bit fake, but in order to make her possible boss feel better.

“Huh? I don’t recall you ever visiting. Hm.” Avi said all of the sudden, and it made Ann die inside just a little bit. Avi herself, however, felt a somewhat funny when she was addressed by her surname. Unusual, but she liked it. Perhaps, she was always supposed to be in charge of people? Especially fine, eager workers such as that lovely woman standing in front of her. She brushed the thoughts away, swept them aside like the dust on the museum floor. Just another day, just another thing she should simply forget.

Ann still felt quite uncomfortable. Perhaps she was going to go the honest route instead, avoiding flattery - didn’t seem like Ms. Alocer was easy to fool, neither did she seem eager to play along. Then why did she seem so… sweet? She tried to think about something else, and instead scared herself into thinking that she might’ve forgotten something crucial for this job interview, and therefore began rummaging through her bag.

“Alrighty-mighty, let us go then, let me show you around… whether you have visited this wonderful establishment, I absolutely must give you a proper look-around tour before we get to work, am I not right? Mheh,” Avi stepped from behind the desk and invited Ann to follow, which still didn’t make Galliard feel easier. Why a tour?

“I thought an interview was to take place…” she spoke up very quietly, somehow Avi’s very shiny and warm personality eclipsing any vocal worry Galliard wished to express. She couldn’t tell whether her new ‘boss’ - could she even call her that? - was oblivious or purposely ignored her troubled remarks.

“So here we proudly present to you, Ms. G-galliard,” Avi stammered a bit while pronouncing Ann’s surname, getting used to it, but also feeling awkward at her own attempt at addressing the would-be new staff member in the same formal way. Maybe that’s what Ann liked? “our spectacular aquarium… where Solum’s aquatic lifeforms are preserved with utmost efficiency and closest, borderline personal care… and we do have specimen from beyond Solum, too, hopefully we’d get to expand our collection.”

“That’s… incredible? Incredible,” Ann wasn’t sure how to react at first, furrowing her eyebrows and squinting as she looked at the large tanks to her left and right as they walked through the museum’s aquarium hall. “I assume the conditions are humane and all that, and you rescued those from ‘beyond’, right?”

Avi didn’t say anything, just smiling with all of her teeth, mouth slightly open.

“... Ms. Alocer?”

“Ah, hoo-hoo, of course! Of course. We’re looking to preserve endangered species and we - ahem - even thought of, perhaps, re-integrating them into their usual habitats and also Solum!,” Avi finally spoke up, clapping her hands once rubbing them together, a bit nervous. Ann probably thought she was a total fraud...

“Impressive. To think that such professionals worked here, and I didn’t know. Then again, I’ve spent a considerable amount of my life working in a different field, yet my position was one with many responsibilities,” she said, deep in thought. She wasn’t even sure if she was supposed to say anything, or simply listen. The interview didn’t feel right.

“Mhm. Okay, well, yes, that’s how things are, now you are well-acquainted with us and the museum, and it’s only going to get better! Our museum became rather popular due to the events several years back…” Avi turned in one spot, but then stopped for a moment and pointed behind herself, at two large paintings of two fish-looking mogwai. “That’s Mrs. Foras and Mrs. Valic, by the way. They’re a very nice couple, hoo-hoo...”

“Huh. That’s… interesting, somehow I didn’t expect that. In Mogwai forms…” Ann muttered, then froze up, and covered her mouth with both of her hands. “Oh my, I hope- I hope I didn’t sound insensitive. I mean, I did. I apologize.”

It was almost a new feeling - to feel wrong, even vulnerable as she had to, in fact, apologize instead of making up excuses or scaring someone into submission and denial as she did in her past work. She used to be a fearsome manager.

“Oh? No-no-no, it is fine. Must be our dialect. You are from Aeros, yes?” Avi asked, and sounded as sweet as ever.

“A-ha-ha, yes, must be. Yes, that is right, Ms. Alocer.”

Ann slowly exhaled with great relief as they left the aquarium. She watched Avi as she walked in front of her. Her outfit was, to say the least, remarkable - almost pompous, a dress uniform, as if this handsome woman just came back from a posh parade…

Galliard coughed a couple of times into a clenched fist, closing her eyes, as if excusing her own self - for feeling so lightheaded and deep in thought at such crucial time when her attention was most required…

“There are specific guidelines written in a handbook that I’ll provide you with later. It’s about, you know, handling all the fish. Not literally! You don’t need to handle them. Some of them may be quite dan-ge-ro-us,” Avi said, as they entered the lobby once again. “By the way, this is our reception area! There’s a gift shop here, we just, ahem, don’t have enough funding to turn it into a proper one, so our sales assistant occupies the table. We also have several inhabitants of local fauna here, yet they’re also rightful claimants to this particular area. We, how do I put it, have to share the area with them. The hamster family is kinda territorial, so you must give them space, but they’ll appreciate if you leave them a treat…”

Avi noticed Ann staring at her.

“... Eh-heh. Yeah. Something the matter?”

“I was wondering, Ms. Alocer, is this… the interview?”

“The interview? I thought… wait. Oh. Right, I was supposed to interview you first, then hire you, right. Hm. Okay. Well, we’ll figure that out, ri-i-ight. Let this be a test,” Avi said, her forehead sweating a bit - she wiped it with her sleeve.

“... Test of what?”

“Of… well. Your… capa… bilities. Regardless. Let me show your second most important hall, and this chamber in particular became very, very popular in the past couple years…” Alocer brushed it off again, trying to change the topic. She felt ashamed of making such an odd first impression, at that point the confusion she’d been ignoring became quite apparent in Ann’s voice and body language. She definitely used to be a manager, she had that particular bossy aura about her… and Avi liked it, despite their positions at that moment.

“The treasure room! Mind your step, please, this one is inhabited by a humble crab family. Guardians, you could say,” Avi introduced the room at first.

“Is there a chamber in this museum that isn’t shared with Solum’s fauna, Ms. Alocer?” Ann was curious.

“I don’t think so! Oh wait. You probably wished to hear the opposite. I’m afraid I may disappoint you then - no, everything here is shared. It’s an experience in harmony…”

“Are you making this up on the go?”

“Ma-a-a-aybe. Regardless. Please, behold, the treasure room. This one has a collection of visions that had come and visited Mrs. Foras throughout the years, visions of Solum’s hero… the ambassador, Eve Staccato. I, ha-ha, I myself had the chance of meeting her… talking to her,” Avi leaned onto one of the stands carefully with her elbow, smiling. She looked at one of the hand-made trophies depicting Eve, and smiled. Thinking.

Ann did the same, recognizing her conjurer friend in these works of art.

“Bit of a history section, then. Peculiar. I also happen to know Eve.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. She’s very nice.”

“She is rather nice, yes,” Ann fixed the bag hanging over her shoulder. “So, I assume I’d have to learn a bit of this to give people tours?”

“Yes! I know a lot about Eve… I mean, we all do, and we have tour scripts written down. It’s a shame Ms. Staccato doesn’t have much time to visit lately,” Avi dragged the last words a bit, looking away… further. Through a window in the wall. She sounded genuinely melancholic, for the first time ever since she began talking to Ann.

Ann noticed that pretty quickly and decided to dispel the heavy atmosphere.

“I’ve got a question.”

“Ah, please, yes, yes, of course.”

“Is this… outfit, the usual uniform around here? It’s very… exquisite,” she managed to express the awe in a very down-to-earth manner.

Avi seemed genuinely surprised to be asked something about herself that way. After all, it was usually hundreds of questions about the fish or Eve’s trophies.

“Oh, is it not to your liking? It’s my good ol’ uniform… transport corps, from a long time ago.”

Galliard was caught by surprise with that statement. On one hand, she loved the outfit and was barely holding in a burst of admiration comprised of squeals, close inspections and general acts of adoration - it was all ready to be unleashed. On the other hand, she had to keep it serious, and moreover, it appeared to be some sort of military uniform. Which didn’t really weaken Ann’s fascination, but made her feel quite guilty about it, for a little while.

“It… suits you really well, Ms. Alocer,” Ann said, looking at Avi’s cheek, somewhat ashamed to look her straight in the eyes.

“Oh, well thank you very much, you look great today, too. However, perhaps I could talk to Mrs. Foras at some point, get us all uniforms… but I don’t think Mrs. Valic would like that. She’s a free person all around, wouldn’t want to be in line with anything like that. Oh, hm, what am I saying…”

“That is fine. I’m actually quite glad to hear more about the place and the people I’ll work with. And I’m glad I’ll work with you, if you find me suitable for this position.”

“Oh, but what is there not to find suitable about you? You already are. In a suit. Perhaps tha-a-at means something! Heh,” Avi smiled and offered Ann to move back to the reception area.

Ann thought that Avi was, simply put, adorable. That was definitely inappropriate to think.

They spent some while filling in papers and forms for Ann’s official employment. She was wondering how could that have been established with such an unusual place, but apparently ever since Eve’s victory more humans grew interested in Sand Bar and surrounding areas. Avi, while writing down notes, collecting papers and typing things into the computer, told Ann that some entrepreneurs even wished to properly connect Aeros, Sand Bar and Otecho, after all these years. Galliard doubted it’d be viable with the Sewers still active.

“And it is done! You are, I am proud to say, and very happy to say too, officially employed. Your first day will begin tomorrow, for now I can, hm… I think I can give you these couple leaflets and notepads with the stuff regarding the tours…”

Ann simply stood there, watching Avi at work. She wasn’t sure if it all was true, or it was the fact she’d downed several shots before leaving her home. Avi looked so passionate about what she did. So energetic and fine. Her eyes looked so dreamy, and every little funny thing she said - obviously struggling to keep the formal language up at all times - was so soothing and reassuring. Perhaps, Galliard was the luckiest candidate ever to land an interview as easy as that. As friendly as that.

Avi was passed her a not-too-tall stack of papers, leaflets and a couple of handbooks.

“I will look forward to working with you, Ms. Galliard.”

That was too easy.

She’d just have to leave, then? Just like that?

It wasn’t even past noon. But what was it messing with her mind?

The job was pretty much secured, what else could she want?

“... Yes. But do you mind if I stay?”

Avi blinked a couple of times, smiling with her lips pressed together tightly, eyes looking up at Ann as she was bent in a slight bow.

“S-stay? Ahem. Stay?”

“Yes, may I stay and see… how you, perhaps, tend to the museum.”

She wasn’t drunk enough for this. She closed her eyes as tightly as possible, almost hurting, hoping she’d just wake up from the awkward nightmare.

“O-o-okay, sure. That’s probably even better for you. You’ll learn a lot, I suppose?” Avi seemed genuinely convinced. Ann felt as if she cheated death herself for the… whatever time that was, already.

Both of them sat down in the aquarium hall, next to each other, watching one of the tanks filled with fish. Avi was telling Ann all about the specimen in the tank, including a couple of fun facts about each and every single one of them… both species-wise and individual-wise, apparently she was on good terms with the fish in the tanks. It weirded Ann out at first, but the more Avi told her, the more she understood and grew fascinated. With Avi. She was actually, once in the longest while, felt happy listening to someone. Didn’t wanna jump up and strangle someone, didn’t want to plug her ears with something, didn’t want to leave the room…

“You’re amazing.”

Curse it all - she actually let her thoughts slip up audibly. Avi turned her head to Ann and looked at her, a bit confused. Why couldn’t she hear half of the remarks Ann had made before, yet this time she turned out to be so attentive.

Ann was out of courage, or so she thought. She usually got some through her favourite refreshments. This time, she was on her own. Was there a way to wriggle out of this, like one of those eels Avi told her about would do? Perhaps not.

“You’re amazing. Yes, you are. I don’t know the last time I was so interested in listening to someone just go on and on about… something like this.”

She just said it, just simply like that. Absolutely unapologetic and fearless… on the outside. She would even lean back a bit, cracking a little smile. On the inside, however, she was ready for death. It was always somewhat over the top with her.

“... Thank you. You too!..” Avi squeezed these words out, her face red like some funny Sawthree Shark swimming in the tank nearby.

No way. Ann just couldn’t believe it. She got the jackpot that day, apparently, maybe several of those. Whatever constituted luck on Solum - be it gods, the universe itself, the aliens - they were smiling in her favour, which almost brought a tear to her dry, tired eyes. Could she press on? Perhaps it was too dangerous…

Curses. She spent the whole work day at the museum. It barely had any visitors that day. What was worse…

She was in Aeros with Avi. They closed the museum and she just asked her new boss out, for dinner. Ann was panicking. Not only because she somehow managed to get this far, but also because she’d have to show up in a town where everyone knows her with someone completely new. For dinner. What was even worse is that the odd tanuki who kept pestering could be here, waiting in the shadows… waiting. Ann shook her head full of worry.

She felt something. A hand on her back, and a sweet, considerate voice:

“Ann,” Avi addressed her the way Galliard asked her, at the end of the day, “are you alright? Are you cold?”

“... Yes. Yes, a bit. Let’s, uh, let’s go inside.”

“Wow, is that a restaurant?”

“N-no, that’s my house.”

“You live in this whole big house?!”

“No, we just have an apartment there!” Ann hurried there - without thinking, she even grabbed her new boss by the hand and dragged her there.

Avi really just couldn’t pass anyone in the town without tipping her hat, or waving, or saying ‘hello’, even the concierge in the building. It both embarrassed Ann, but it was also really, really, really cute and she couldn’t handle all the emotions at once. She knocked on the door, then rang the bell.

“Coming! Right, who is this?” she heard Blitz walk up to the door and press himself on the door, looking through peephole.

Ann announced it was her, and Blitz opened the door. He seemed very glad to see her home, and immediately asked about the interview, then noticed Avi.

“Ann!.. I- I didn’t know we’d be having guests? Should I call everyone? Please, come in, or are you just…” he seemed dumbfounded, but was quickly adapting.

“It’s fine, no need. We’ll just have a little meal, and all.”

That was so lame. She should’ve just gone to another town, or something, what kind of dinner would that be, just at her home?!

“I can hardly wait!” Avi said, dispelling all worries once again and melting Ann’s heart even more. It just didn’t seem real.

Avisa had everything Ann really wanted. No worries. No troubles. Everything was going well. Perhaps, she was nervous for nothing. After all, what’s so bad about a dinner amongst family anyway. If she was to one day… 

Perhaps that’s a thought that goes too far.

It was all so ridiculous anyway, scandalous even. Going to parties was one thing - it was always quick, it was always locked away later and never left the room. With her new lifestyle - although some aspects remained, like the sweet refreshments - it was hard to imagine doing things she’d done in the past.

She took her shoes off, her coat off and stepped through. Avi snapped her fingers - her shoes were gone too, the coat stayed on, however. From under it followed a chain, all the way into a pocket - she reached there for a brief moment and pulled out a pocket watch.

“Uhm, Ann, by the way, I have to return before eleven, alright?”

“Huh?”

“I just have stuff to do later.”

“Oh. Alright.”

Ann invited Avi to the table in the kitchen, they sat down next to each other. Ann sighed, setting her hands on top of the table, tapping her fingers on it.

How long had it been since the last time she actually did anything but work or party? She felt horribly off - almost as if she forgot how to communicate with someone while sober and not scolding, yelling at anyone. Was this incredibly handsome - as Ann thought - young woman from the museum cutting her some slack, looking away from her mistakes, letting those embarrassing attempts at a proper social interactions slip? Why did she agree to come over there?

Blitz was somewhere, shuffling about the kitchen, he heated them up two plates of meatballs and potatoes under white sauce. For a little while, it cheered Ann up quite a bit - they’ve been eating the same soup for three days prior, which almost annoyed her at that point. She and Avi thanked Blitz for the meal and got to it, sometimes pausing to talk about little, trivial things. Slowly, the worries faded.

Rick walked down the stairs, then straight to the kitchen. He had his headphones on, listening to a rather energetic podcast of grown-ups complaining about comic books. All that talk - which he didn’t do - got him thirsty, so his mission was to get some apple juice from the fridge… then he noticed Ann with a Mogwai.

“Oh- Oh hi! Ann, you didn’t say you’d have a friend over…”

“Greetings, young paladin,” Avi waved at him.

“I’m more of a… monk, hand-to-hand type,” Rick said, squinting.

“Uh- Yeah, I don’t know, I kinda told Blitz not to make a fuss of it… I don’t know how Chip would react…” Ann was saying.

“So you didn’t know how Chip would react, yet you came here. Where Chip is,” her little brother stated the facts.

Ann inhaled.

“Yes,” she said, after a little pause.

“Okay, well, that’s fair I guess. Do you need me to distract her if she tries to come down here?”

Ann chuckled nervously. She already owed him too many favours, but…

“Yes. Please.”

“You have our blessing, young... pugilist.”

“I sure do!” he said, running away with a pack of juice.

Avi watched him leave, then let out a little laugh.

“That was your brother, right? Seemed nice,” Avi said, then looked at Ann. “You seem, however, awfully worried. Is something the matter?”

Ann sighed heavily, feeling defeated.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Avi.”

“Well… I guess we’re having dinner, right? Yours is getting re-e-eal cold like that, though.”

Ann stuck the fork in her meal, and got to it. If she so happened to start this whole mess, she surely would finish it. No excuses.

That wasn’t about the food.

Later, they were finished with the meal when she heard a commotion upstairs.

“I’m tired of waiting, I’ll go find her! She’s been away for the whole day!” Chip’s booming voice came down from upstairs. Perhaps the whole house could hear her.

Suddenly, Rick also spoke up.

“Chip, help! I totally forgot I have an essay!”

“You do? Well, good for you! Now you remember.”

“It’s due tomorrow!” he put on a whiny, pathetic voice when saying that. It was incredibly fake, but always worked for Chip.

“Wh… we have to get it done, immediately! Let’s go!”

“Chip, watch the door!”

A loud crashing noise followed as - perhaps - Ann’s Mogwai, full of determination, stormed into the younger Galliard’s room.

“This is our chance, we have to go, Avi,” 

They got ready quickly and hurried outside. When they left the building, Ann was finally relieved. It was dark outside, at that time already.

“Well, that was nice, if I do say so myself. I must thank you. Too bad I couldn’t thank… Blitz, right? Food was yummy.”

“Oh, well, maybe another time. Sorry, it was probably all such a hassle, coming. I promise, next time I’ll show you one of my most favourite bars…” Ann said, laughing quietly with Avi on good terms. Then she stopped, wondering if there would be a ‘next time’ anyway. She was too quick to assume, once again. And once again, Avi was there to reassure her.

“Sounds good, I suppose, but I have to make sure it’s fits well with my work schedule and all that. Gotta get things done!”

It was hard to believe she could go through another period of change after all these years. Was that the balance she could attain?

She saw Avi take a couple of steps away from her already, heading for the entrance to the Sewers. She felt like she had to say something.

This wasn’t going to be professional at all. Yet Avisa didn’t seem to mind, ever. So why not.

“I loved it today.”

Avi looked back and smiled, just as usual.

“Me too!”

“With you,” Ann added.

Alocer slowly fixed the cap on her head, shyly.

“Me too…”

Ann was finally home and happy. Chip was chewing her out completely for being so late. She was telling her how much she’d worried, how she was going to find her but Rick - that silly boy - held her back with his homework. She also thought that Ann ate the two plates of meals herself and said it was completely unfair and that she from then on would demand two plates a day, too.

Avi was back at the museum to tend to her hobbies and late deeds, but she really wished Nile was there to lend her a hand with all of the thoughts. After all, she could probably try and see if this whole deal wasn’t just a trick played on poor Alocer.

They couldn’t wait for tomorrow.


End file.
